Packaging tray



P. THOMPSON PACKAGING TRAY May 14, 1957 Filed June 1, 1953 z T m i Fig. 5

INVENTOR. PAUL THOMPSON ATTORNEYS This invention relates to a new and improved paperboard packagingtray and to the-blank ffom which the tray is adapted to be formed by folding on scored-lines. The blank 'is of rectangular form andis' so scored that it can be folded on the score lines into a" tray havin'g'bottom, side and end walls. tegrally connected at each corner of the blank andtray bycorner sections of the blankg-and 'one object'of the The side and-end walls are ininvention resides in so scoring these corner sections that the resulting tray will be provided with improve'd 'structural and functional features.

Each corner section of the blank is integral with the adjacent side and end panels along junction fold lines forming an angle of approximately 90 therebetween at their intersection and is scored diagonally along a line bisecting said angle into two slightly unequal angles. As thus constructed the blank folds into a tray in which the side walls are disposed wholly within and between the end walls, and the folded corner flaps rest flatly against the end walls. The loading of the tray is facilitated by the flat disposition of the corner folds against the end walls and the novel corner forming construction maintains this relationship and supports the side walls in erect position merely by supporting the end walls thereagainst, all as hereinafter more specifically described. The production of a novel blank and tray of this nature and embodying the novel features above and hereinafter described comprises the primary object of the invention.

These and other features of the invention will be best understood and appreciated from the following description of preferred embodiments thereof selected for purposes of illustration and shown in the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of a blank embodying the invention,

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the blank folded to form a tray,

Fig. 3 is an enlarged fragmentary view taken on line 3-3 of Fig. 2,

Fig. 4 is a plan view of a modified form of blank, and

Fig. 5 is a view like Fig. 3 of a tray formed from the blank of Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 illustrates the tray enclosed within a cellophane wrapper.

The blank comprising the invention can be formed from single sheet stock or from a corrugated sheet 10 faced with a backing sheet 12 as illustrated in Fig. 1. The rectangular blank 14 is scored along two intersecting pairs 15 and 16 of parallel fold lines to form a bottom panel 18 and four side wall panels. For purpose of description herein, I have designated two of the side wall panels 20 as end panels and the other two, 22, as side wall panels. The blank has at each corner a corner section integral with the adjacent end wall panel along a scored line 24 and with the adjacent side wall panel along a scored line 26. The lines 24 and 26 form an angle of approximately 90 therebetween at their intersection and each corner section is scored diagonally along a line 28 nited States Patent bisectingthis' angle into two-slightly unequal angles. The

corner section is thereby divided into two unequal panels 30 and 32 of which the panel 30 is of greater width'than the panel-32 from the line 23 outwardly to the adjacent fold lines 24'and 26.

In the blank 14, shown in Fig. l, the junction score lines 24 at the ends of each'end wall panel diverge outwardly of the blank from the two adjacent corners of the bottom panel 1-8, and'the score'lines 26 at'the ends of each side wall panel 22 are substantially parallel with and spaced slightlyinwa'rdly of theparallel score lines 16 between the bottom panel -18 and the end wall panels 20.

"When the blank 14 isfolded on the score lines it forms the tray illustrated in-Fig.--2. The corner sections fold end walls.

When'used, the' blanks'are folded into tray form and -.placed-between siderails 34 of 'aguide leading to the wrapping machine. The end walls 20 are held erect by and between the rails and the side walls 22 lean slightly inward into end abutting relation with the end walls. The folded corner panels 36 and 32 also automatically remain fiat against the end walls, thus facilitating filling of the trays without interference by the corner panels, and the side walls and tray are firmly supported merely by supporting the end walls. Such disposition of the corner folds 30 and 32 facilitates the loading of the tray and when the tray is wrapped within a sheet supporting the end walls it remains firm without the employment of any adhesive. It will be understood that the tray can be used without wrapping by applying adhesive between the panels 30 and 32.

As will now be apparent, the bottom, side and end walls and the corner forming folds are formed solely from and embody the entire area of the blank within the marginal confine thereof and the supporting of the end walls in upright tray forming position functions as the sole support for holding the side walls in upright position therebetween, thereby eliminating the necessity of locking flaps or the like heretofore required for supporting the blank in set up tray form.

When the blank is folded to tray form, the side wall 22 has a ditferent corner axis at each end from the end wall 20 and the side wall can fall outwardly only by distorting the axis of the wall 20 or distorting the paper forming the wall. For practical purposes and to keep the walls of the tray looking approximately erect and to make the corners appear like they met, the corners are modified to make one portion tilt outwardly while the other portion remains erect or tilts slightly inwardly. Such effect is produced by outwardly diverging the score lines 24 of the end walls as illustrated in Fig. 1. As thus constructed the bottom corner angle of each end wall 2i; is slightly greater than a right angle and the angle between each side wall and the bottom wall may be slightly smaller or at least not greater than a right angle (Fig. 3).

The blank 40 shown in Fig. 4 has parallel score lines 42 and 44 providing a bottom panel 46, end panels 48 and side panels 50. The score lines 52 at the ends of the end panels 48 diverge outwardly like the lines 24 in the blank 14. The score lines 54 at the ends of the side panels converge inwardly. Each corner section 56 is scored diagonally along a line 53 bisecting the corner section angle in the same manner as in Fig. 1. When Patented May 14,

this blank is folded to tray form the corner folds will assume the relation illustrated in Fig. 5 which relation is functionally the same as shown in Fig. 3 and above described.

In Fig. 6 I have illustrated the tray filled and wrapped in a cellophane wrapper 60 which holds the walls 20 in upright position.

It will now be apparent that I have produced an improved packaging tray which is held firmly in tray form by supporting two of its said walls in raised tray forming position as illustrated in Figs. 2, 3 and 5, and that the corner forming sections of the tray remain flat against the said two side walls whereby facilitating the loading of the tray.

Having thus disclosed my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

In combination a packaging tray comprising a rectangular paperboard blank scored and folded on straight lines forming therefrom a rectangular bottom wall, two end walls, two side walls and four folded corner forming sections all within and embodying the entire area of the blank within the marginal confine thereof, each corner forming section being integral with the adjacent ends of the adjacent end and side walls along fold lines and being folded into two panels in face to face contact on a median line extending diagonally outward from the innermost corner thereof, the end wall attached panel of each corner section at one side of the median line being in face to face contact with its attached end wall and of greater width than its companion panel from the median line outwardly to the adjacent fold lines and thereby disposing the side walls inclined inwardly-upwardly between the end walls and their ends in abutting relation with the end walls and the attached wider corner panels inwardly of the ends of the end walls, holding of the end walls in upright tray forming position being adapted to provide the sole support for holding the side walls in upright position therebetween, and means for supporting the end walls in said upright position, the bottom angles formed between the bottom wall and the ends of the end walls being each slightly greater than a right angle and the angle between each side wall and the bottom wall being not greater than a right angle, thereby disposing the side Walls inwardly of the ends of the end walls.

, References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 905,691 Gofi Dec. 1, 1908 1,068,802 Merrell July 29, 1913 1,982,557 Watson Nov. 27, 1934 2,295,478 Jason, Jr. Sept. 8, 1942 2,308,527 Look Ian. 19, 1943 2,572,610 Gilbert Oct. 23, 1951 2,643,813 Vines June 30, 1953 2,657,849 Paul et al. Nov. 3, 1953 

